NUS Law honours Singapore’s pioneer Law Minister EW Barker

Launch of EW Barker Centre for Law & Business and EW Barker Bursary

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Law recognised the legacy of Mr EW Barker, Singapore’s first and longest-serving Law Minister, by renaming the Centre for Law & Business (CLB) after him and launching a student bursary in his honour. Singapore Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong officially launched these initiatives in the presence of Mrs Gloria Barker, wife of the late Mr Barker, and members of the Barker family at an event held at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus.  

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially launched the EW Barker Centre for Law & Business, which was renamed in honour of Singapore's first and longest-serving Law Minister.

Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of the NUS Faculty of Law, said, “The EW Barker Centre for Law & Business ensures that not only will Mr Barker’s story be told and his name remembered, but that his legacy will carry forward in perpetuity. The Law was his first calling and this centre, which will be a thought-leader in cutting-edge legal debates, serves as both a reminder of Singapore’s first Law Minister and an inspiration to build on his many achievements.”

Professor Tan Cheng Han, Chairman of the EW Barker Centre for Law & Business at NUS Law, added, “Mr EW Barker is a highly distinguished person in Singapore’s history and we are acutely aware of the responsibility that it brings to be worthy of bearing his name. We have worked hard to ensure that the centre has, in a relatively short period of time, become recognised as one of the leading commercial law research centres in the world. With strong support from various stakeholders as well as adequate research funding, the centre has been able to make a significant impact globally. In doing so, we place Singapore law more firmly in the consciousness of the international community.” 

“Today we are also announcing the EW Barker Bursary, which will support financially needy students at NUS Law. Mr Barker’s legacy is inextricably tied to his identity as a lawyer, so it seems fitting that this Bursary, which will enable the next generation to pursue a legal education, also bears his name,” said Prof Chesterman. 

A tribute to Mr EW Barker

Mr Edmund William Barker entered Raffles College, a predecessor institution of NUS, in 1939. The current NUS Bukit Timah Campus occupies the Raffles College site. In 1942, Mr Barker’s education at Raffles College was disrupted by the onset of the Japanese Occupation. After the Japanese surrendered, Mr Barker returned to Raffles College in 1946 to complete his studies, attaining the Queen’s Scholarship and then graduating with an arts diploma the following year. With the scholarship, Mr Barker left for England in 1948 to study law at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge University. 

Mr Barker graduated with a law degree with honours from Cambridge University in 1951 and was called to the Bar at London’s Inner Temple the same year. Upon his return to Singapore, Mr Barker practised law from 1952 to 1964, specialising in civil litigation. He entered politics in 1963, after winning the election for the Tanglin Constituency. He returned unopposed in the constituency in all subsequent general elections until he retired from politics in 1988.

Mr Barker served as a Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1963-1964, before becoming Singapore’s first Minister of Law on 1 November 1964, leaving office a quarter of a century later in 1988. In addition to his appointment as the Law Minister, he was concurrently the Minister for National Development for almost a decade from 9 August 1965 to June 1975. Besides his law and national development portfolios, Mr Barker was at various times Minister for Home Affairs, the Environment, Science and Technology as well as Labour. He also served as Leader of the House from 1968 to 1985. 

Mr Barker played a significant role in Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965. He drew up the separation agreement, an amendment to the Malaysian Constitution to allow for Singapore’s departure, as well as the Proclamation of Singapore. Given the tense situation then, the relationships and trust established between Mr Barker and the Malaysian leaders during their Raffles College and Cambridge University days helped to make the parting an amicable one.

In recognition of his contributions to the Singapore government, Mr Barker was conferred the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) of the National Day Awards in 1990. Together with the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Mr Barker was awarded Johor’s highest honour, the Honourable Order of the Crown of Johor (First Class), in 1984, in recognition of their contributions in establishing and maintaining good relations between Johor and Singapore.

Mrs Gloria Barker said, “My husband always had the best interest of Singapore foremost in his heart and ambitions. I am sure he would have been delighted with the plans to make this centre of learning a global leader in the field of law and business. For himself, he was modest and had no idea of leaving any legacy behind. On his behalf, we are deeply honoured and thank the NUS Faculty of Law for remembering his contribution to Singapore in this way."  

EW Barker Centre for Law & Business

CLB, which is part of the NUS Faculty of Law, was established in 2014 to enhance and promote research and educational opportunities for faculty, students, legal practitioners and business executives who share a common interest in the fields of Law, Business and Economics. CLB aims to be a leading research centre globally in the field of Law and Business. 

Several years ago, NUS Law launched a campaign to raise support for CLB. A total of S$21 million (inclusive of the Government’s matching grant) was raised to set up an endowment fund which will enable the centre to expand its manpower and scope of activities to make a major impact on Singapore and the wider region. Following the success of this campaign, and in recognition of Mr Barker’s achievements, NUS Law has renamed the centre, the EW Barker Centre for Law & Business.

The EW Barker Centre for Law & Business plans to hire new faculty, including the recruitment of leading scholars from around the world as well as cultivate the next generation of Singaporean scholars; organise a thriving research programme, including a series of interdisciplinary workshops and a major conference every year; and welcome visiting fellows, post-doctoral fellows and other scholars to Singapore to contribute to the vibrancy of Singapore’s business law research.

EW Barker Bursary

As part of the larger initiative to recognise Mr Barker’s role in establishing the rule of law in independent Singapore, NUS Law has also established the EW Barker Bursary.  

An endowment fund of more than S$300,000 (including the Government’s matching grant), with contributions from an anonymous donor and several members of the legal fraternity, has been set up for the Bursary. For a start, up to two bursaries of S$6,000 each is expected to be awarded per year. The Bursary will be awarded to financially needy undergraduate students at NUS Law from Academic Year 2017/18 onwards.